2008 Malibu LS walkaround pictures/video

[!!!TED!!!]

My local Chevy store (here in Toronto, Canada) just recieved the new 2008 Malibu. They had an LS model parked outside, between an Impala and 07 malibu. Here are some pictures that will give you a good idea of how the car compares and looks in natural morning light.

VIDEO!: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=uIxhEKh2XXo

Sorry for the graininess, I had the ISO a bit too high.

continued next post...

[!!!TED!!!]

[!!!TED!!!]

Very tight panel gaps all around, and it makes the old car look like a box.

[K.C.]

Great shots Ted. Makes the old car look like it debuted in 1990. The new one is worlds better.

[ZL-1]

Good pics. Definitely more stylistically related to the Impala than the old Malibu. If is wasn't refrigerator colour, it would be perfect

[Windy-57]

Absolutely, the new one is truly better. But seeing these next to each other makes me realize something. GM didn't need to tear up the old and start all over, they just needed better decisions, less compromises and better attention to the details. I say that because seeing them next to each other, it's obvious that the new Malibu is a Chevy through and through and in many ways is an evolution of the old, not a revolution. They just plain out did a better job with this car and gave attention to the details (as displayed in the rear side blinker with the chevy logo in them)...and it shows.

All of that and an interior that is worth a crap.

[siegen]

I always liked this Impala. The new Malibu doesn't look too out of place next to these cars. I still think the Malibu would look better with only 2 grills up front instead of 3. But then it would look almost identical to the Impala. :AH-HA_wink:

The bumper looks not too good in this picture. It looks like it's a slightly different tint, and the part by the headlight doesn't appear to line up well. My friends 2000 Civic is the forest green color, and the front bumper has a slight off tint to it similar to this. It's not noticeable always, only in certain angles.

[Intrepidation]

Absolutely, the new one is truly better. But seeing these next to each other makes me realize something. GM didn't need to tear up the old and start all over, they just needed better decisions, less compromises and better attention to the details. I say that because seeing them next to each other, it's obvious that the new Malibu is a Chevy through and through and in many ways is an evolution of the old, not a revolution. They just plain out did a better job with this car and gave attention to the details (as displayed in the rear side blinker with the chevy logo in them)...and it shows.

All of that and an interior that is worth a crap.

I feel it is a revolution compared to the old Impala. The shapes of the 2 cars are nothing alike. And while the the old one is block, poorly proportioned, and slab sided, the new one has good proportions, it's sleek, and nicely detailed).

[!!!TED!!!]

I always liked this Impala. The new Malibu doesn't look too out of place next to these cars. I still think the Malibu would look better with only 2 grills up front instead of 3. But then it would look almost identical to the Impala. :AH-HA_wink:

The bumper looks not too good in this picture. It looks like it's a slightly different tint, and the part by the headlight doesn't appear to line up well. My friends 2000 Civic is the forest green color, and the front bumper has a slight off tint to it similar to this. It's not noticeable always, only in certain angles.

Yes, very good eye.

The front clip is a slightly different tint. If you look at RangerVT's pictures, you can see the same thing.

http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...ost&id=1321

And yes, the cut line was slightly off only on that side of the hood. All other body panels were perfect.

I too wish they didn't have the lower opening, but its there for cooling. It ruins the flow of the new grille IMO.

[!!!TED!!!]

They just plain out did a better job with this car and gave attention to the details (as displayed in the rear side blinker with the chevy logo in them)...and it shows.

That detail is THE definition of "it doesn't cost anymore money to make it look good".

[Intrepidation]

Why is the tining different? It's annoying...hopefully only the early models will have this issue.

[Cory Wolfe]

To be honest, the more I see of it, the less I like it. It's still world's better than the old one, and the Camry for that matter, but there are too many awkward areas on the design.

[bowtie_dude]

I'll tell ya what ruins the flow of the grill is that hideous front license plate bracket. SO thankful I live in Kentucky where the fronts of cars are not marred by a license plate.

[ocnblu]

The plastic parts are painted separately from the bodyshell. Plastic parts accept paint differently from metal parts. No matter what brand of car it is, this occurs. I always try to point this out to customers when I write an estimate, so they know it is normal and not a flaw in our process.

[Drew Dowdell]

I always liked this Impala. The new Malibu doesn't look too out of place next to these cars. I still think the Malibu would look better with only 2 grills up front instead of 3. But then it would look almost identical to the Impala. :AH-HA_wink:

The bumper looks not too good in this picture. It looks like it's a slightly different tint, and the part by the headlight doesn't appear to line up well. My friends 2000 Civic is the forest green color, and the front bumper has a slight off tint to it similar to this. It's not noticeable always, only in certain angles.

If I were the customer, I'd make the dealer fix this before I signed my name on anything. If I were the dealer, I'd be embarrassed to even have that on the lot like that.

[Intrepidation]

The plastic parts are painted separately from the bodyshell. Plastic parts accept paint differently from metal parts. No matter what brand of car it is, this occurs. I always try to point this out to customers when I write an estimate, so they know it is normal and not a flaw in our process.

That makes sense, but why is this not apparent in other vehicles?

Edited November 10, 2007 by Dodgefan

[ocnblu]

Uh... because you haven't noticed it? Some colors are easier to match than others, I will say, but very few match perfectly. We just had a metallic blue '07 Accord in the shop with 2000 miles on it, and it was way off. A high percentage of time when I point this out to customers, they are surprised because they never noticed it before... you can bet they'd notice it after they got their car back, though, and blame the shop for a poor color match, so I try to head it off right away. Anyway, enough thread hijacking.

Thanks for these shots, Ted. All we've seen in the promotional materials have been the toplevel model. The rear end looks good in these pics, imo.

[ZL-1]

That detail is THE definition of "it doesn't cost anymore money to make it look good".

Agreed. I think that attention to detail is the present-day GM's learning path, one I wish the company is successful with. I feel there's so much potential there still waiting to be unleashed... Edited November 10, 2007 by ZL-1

[Lamar]

I'll tell ya what ruins the flow of the grill is that hideous front license plate bracket. SO thankful I live in Kentucky where the fronts of cars are not marred by a license plate.

Rub it in, whydon'tcha...

I wonder how the nose would look if the license plate holder were off to one side... like a lot of cars back in the day had. I'm sure it would look weird on a new car, but at least the view of the nose would be uninhibited.

[ponchoman49]

I also had a chance to compare all three of these same cars side by side. The new Malibu does indeed look better inside and out compared to the old one and most of the wheel designs are an improvement save the Impala SS like chrome versions on LT2's. But the sad reality set in once I sat inside each car and compared trunks. The Impala is noticeably larger inside with greater width and headroom. It's trunk is larger too. The old Malibu actually feels bigger inside than the new one and it's trunk opening is larger and it seems a bit deeper too. I really don't understand where the longer wheelbase and greater overall length came into play on the new Bu. The center console is wider and the roofline lower to make sitting in the driver's seat feel a bit tight. I really liked the dash on the new Bu. The Corvette like swoops were very neat and retro and the Fusion/500 like dashtop storage was a thoughtful touch. Kudos to Chevy for listening and giving customers the option of exterior bodyside moldings. Demerits for no overhead assist grips, rear seat center armrest and fold flat passenger seat which the previous model had. Also eliminating the Maxx was a mistake. I would also like to see Chevy offer the 224 HP version of the 3500 combined with the 6 speed automatic at least on lower trim levels like the LS and LT1. The mileage figures of the 3.6 liter V6 have already scared off my dad and some friends even though I explained that they are all lower across the board. The Accord, Camry, Sonata, Impala and Altima get better V6 mileage. The prices of the 08 Malibus I checked out were all far to close to the Impala. The 4 cylinder LT1 was almost 22k and the LTZ's were all over 28K which is the same prices as a LTZ Impala with leather, moonroof, sound system, rear seat armrest, overhead assist grips and more interior and trunk space. But the Impalas interior wasn't quite as nice looking as the Malibus and I don't care for the rather plain looking Impala center console with no floor shift indicators and the huge chunk of plain plastic on the passenger side of the dash. Decisions decisions. Space is important to me and the new Bu is a dissapointment in that area. It's also a bit pricey but you do get higher quality interior materials for the money and more modern exterior styling and that lovely 6 speed automatic. It's too bad the V6 wasn't better on fuel and that Chevy couldn't overcome the lack of interior features that come std equipment on every one of it's competitors.

[SuperSport623]

i LOVE that bowtie in the marker light, awesome touch!

Rub it in, whydon'tcha...

I wonder how the nose would look if the license plate holder were off to one side... like a lot of cars back in the day had. I'm sure it would look weird on a new car, but at least the view of the nose would be uninhibited.

like on this gorgeous example of a fine chevrolet?!?!

[mustang84]

Thanks for the pics Ted! The taillights are starting to grow on me after seeing these pictures.

[2005 EquinoxLS]

I might look at one of these when the lease on the Equinox is done in March of 2009. It looks really good. And I didnt think my grandmothers 1999 was bad at all.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Rub it in, whydon'tcha...

I wonder how the nose would look if the license plate holder were off to one side... like a lot of cars back in the day had. I'm sure it would look weird on a new car, but at least the view of the nose would be uninhibited.

You're in Maryland, move next door to Delaware, no front license plate required here.